Don't sit under the apple tree.... Apple Butter

Hello Hello and good middle of the week to you. I hope that you are having a fabulous Wednesday evening and enjoyed a tasty treat for dinner and dessert. 

Apples, apples, apples... a magical fruit and tis' a wonderful time of the year to appreciate all that apples have to offer. I love September, the leaves have started to change colour, fruits fall from the tree's and scents of honey bee's turn to cinnamon, nutmeg and spice. 

Here in good ol' N.S. we are in full on apple harvest and their are many different kinds of apples to enjoy. 

Knowing full well a few weeks ago that apples were a going to be plentiful this year I spoke to a lovely local farmer at the Alderney Landing Farmers Market from Noggins Farm in the Annappolis Valley. I bartered my way (somehow) into scoring 40lbs of apple seconds. Similar to strawberry seconds, these are the bruised, less pretty apples that are delicious but unfortunate looking. My absolute favorite kind!!! I took them home along with some cherries I scored, set myself up on the deck and peeled apples in the sun for a good hour and a half.

Peeling apples may not be my favorite past-time in the world but I luckily had some amazing music to help me through along with the delicious thought of apple butter, apple sauce, and port apple cherry compote.

Alas my adventure had begun. After the apples were peeled I cut and split them into four pots on my stove. Two for apple butter, one for apple sauce, and the other a port, apple, cherry compote.

Apple Butter for those of you who are unsure is produced by cooking your apples for a long slow period of time. Mixing the natural sugar of the fruit with cane sugar helps to naturally caramelize and darken the apples. The slow cooking has the apples concentrate down into a thicker darker liquid (similar consistency to honey) You can then use the apple butter as you would Jam. So tasty and perfect for cold winter mornings or late evening snacks. I love throwing a tablespoon on my granola or in hot oatmeal. 

Then into the jars did the cooked apples go. It is very important when preserving, canning, or jarring to sterilize all equipment you are using. In this case I boil my jars before using them and then re-boil them again after. 

Now I have a plentiful amount of wonderful apple preserves. I love passing these onto friends and family. As the air chills and leaves fall I love knowing that we will continue to taste the autumn apple harvest all year long.

Eat, drink and enjoy!